Special Report

$29.00

HOW TO WRITE A

BOOK
AND GET IT

PUBLISHED

by Robert W. Bly 22 East Quackenbush Avenue, 3rd Floor, Dumont, NJ 07628 Phone (201) 385-1220, Fax (201) 385-1138 e-mail: rwbly@bly.com, web: www.bly.com

TableofContents
Section1 Section2 Section3 Section4 Section5 Section6 Section7
MaybeYouShouldWriteaBook........................................ 3 FindingaGoodIdeaforYourBook ................................... 9 TheBulletproofBookProposal ........................................ 19 UsingPositioningtoSellYourBook ............................... 29 WhattoDoWhenYourBookGoesOutofPrint............ 32 Make$10,000amonthSellingEbooks............................ 43 Write,Design,andPublishYourOwnEZine............... 46

Section1 MaybeYouShouldWriteaBook
Nowadays,itseemsasifeverybodyiswritingabookorwantsto.And, becauseIhavepublishedafewmyself,manypeoplehaveaskedmeforadviceon howtheycangettheirbookpublished. Inthisreport,Illtrytoanswersomeofthebasicquestionsandpointto resourcesthatcanhelpyoubecomehappilypublished. SubjectMatter AlotofthepeopleImeetinbusinesswanttowriteabookonsomebusiness topicusuallyrelatedtotheirjob. Althoughtherewillalwaysbeamarketforsolidhowtobusinessinformation, thepublishingindustryworksincycles.Managementbooks,whichwerehotlast year,havecooledoffconsiderably.Ontheotherhand,thedemandforbookson directmarketing(especiallyonlinemarketing)continuestobestrong.Thebest waytogetafeelforthemarketistogotoabookstoreandbrowse. Publishers Askabusinesspersontonamethreepublishers,andchancesaretheyllname JohnWiley,McGrawHillandPrenticeHall. Thesegiantsdopublishalotofbusinessbooks,buttherearemanyothersyou canapproach.OnegoodreferenceisWritersMarket,publishedbyWriters DigestBooks(Cincinnati,OH).AnotherisLiteraryMarketPlace,knownasLMP, publishedbyR.R.Bowker(NewYork,NY).

Money Unlessyourbookbecomesabestseller,youprobablywontmakemuch moneyfromit. Advancesforanonfictionbookthesedaysrangefrom$3,000to$15,000,with $7,000beingatypicalfigure.Halftheadvanceispaiduponsigningthepublishers contract,withthebalancedueuponacceptanceofyourmanuscript. Remember,thisisanadvanceagainstroyalties.Soifyougeta$10,000advance, andyouarepaidaroyaltyof$1perbook,youwontstartreceivingroyalty paymentsuntilbooknumber10,001issold. Royaltiesrangefrom10percentto15percentonhardcoversand6percentto8 percentontradepaperbackeditions.Bookssoldthroughmailordertypicallypay theauthora5percentto6percentroyalty.Mostpublishersbaseroyaltiesonthe coverpriceofthebook,butafewbaseitonnetrevenuefromthesaleofeach bookwhateverthatis. AfriendtoldmethatthelateRosserReeveswasearning$25,000ayearin royaltiesfromRealityinAdvertising25yearsafterthebooksinitialpublication. Nice,butdontcountonit. SellingtheBook Dontsitdown,writeabook,andthentrytosellittoapublisher.Itworksthat wayforfiction.Butnonfictionisdifferent. Innonfiction,authorssubmitbookproposalstopublishinghouses, andpublishersdecidewhethertheywanttopublishyourbookbasedon yourproposal. BookProposals TheproposalsIsubmittopublishersallcontainthesamebasicinformation: 1. Abriefoverviewofthebasicideabehindthebook. 2. Adescriptionoftheformat(length,organization,illustrations).
4

3. Achapterbychapteroutlinedescribingthepurposeand contentsofeachchapter. 4. Detailedtableofcontents. 5. Marketingandpromotion,includingananalysisofthemarket forthebookreasonswhythesepeopleneedthebook,and suggestionsonhowtopromotethebook(throughpublicity, advertising,directmarketing). 6. Listofcompetingbookswithadescriptionofeachand explanationofhowthebookbeingproposedisdifferent andbetter. 7. Authorsbiography. SampleChapters Ifthisisyourfirstbook,youmaywanttoincludeoneortwosamplechapters withyourproposalasanexampleofyourwritingstyle.Thesesamplechapters shouldbeChapter1andwhateverchapteryouthinkisstrongest. Formoreadviceonhowtowriteabookproposal,readMichaelLarsensbook, HowtoWriteaBookProposal(WritersDigestBooks). Agents Youdonotneedanagenttosellyourbook,butitdoeshelp. Thelargemainstreampublishersaresooverwhelmedwithsubmissionsthat manywillreturnunagentedmanuscriptsunopened.Othershaveslushpiles, andrarelydoesamanuscriptthatstartsintheslushpileendupinthepublished pile(althoughthereareexceptions). Smallerpublishersareusuallymorereceptivetounagentedsubmissions.Also, ifyouhavecontactsataparticularpublishinghouse,youmightbeabletoget yourmanuscriptreadbyaneditorwithoutanagentsintervention.

Agentsfeesrangefrom10percentto15percentofthemoney(advancesand royalties)paidtoyoubyyourpublisher.Mostlegitimateliteraryagentsconsider postage,telephonecalls,andotherexpensesasoverheadanddonotpassthese chargesontotheclient. LengthandTiming Amediumlengthnonfictionbook,runningaround200printedpages, containsapproximately80,000words.Thatrepresentsadoublespaced typewrittenmanuscriptofslightlymorethan300pages. Ifyourpublisheristypical,yourmanuscriptwillbedueontheeditorsdesk 6to9monthsfromthedateyousignyourbookcontract.Onceyouhandinthe manuscript,itwilltakeanother4to6monthsbeforethebooksarepublishedand distributedtobookstores. Rights Rightsdealwithhowthemoneyissplitbetweentheauthorandpublisher whenthebookissoldtoabookclub,madeintoamovie,serializedinForbes, reprintedasanarticleinthetradepress,madeintoanaudiocassetteprogram,or soldasapremiumorincentiveitem.Author/publisherpercentagesplitsonthese itemsgenerallyrangefrom50/50to90/10infavoroftheauthor. AuthorsCopies Mostcontractsspecifythattheauthorwillreceive10freecopiesofhisorher bookandcanbuymorecopiesatadiscountof40to50percentofftheretailprice. Ifyouareplanningtousecopiesofyourbookasgiveawaystopotentialclients orasatrainingmanualinyourseminars,trytogetextrafreecopiesanda slightlybetterdiscount.Thisisespeciallyimportantifyourbookisexpensive ($20ormore).
6

Termination Oneofthemostimportantclausestolookforinthepublisherscontractisthe terminationclause.Thissimplysaysthatifyourbookgoesoutofprint(meaning thepublisherisnolongersellingit)orthepublishergoesoutofbusiness,allrights tothebookrevertbacktoyou,theauthor. Permission Nooneseemstobeabletosaywithauthoritywhenitisorisntnecessaryto getpermissiontoreprintsomeoneelsesworkinyourbook.AndImnotalawyer, soIcantgiveyouanylegaladviceonthisissue.ButletmetellyouwhatIthink iscorrect. Iknowforcertainthatyouneedtoobtainpermissiontoreprintlines(evena singleline)fromanypoemorsong.Youalsoneedpermissiontoreproduce materialasavisualinyourbookforexample,toreprintadiagram,adrawing, anad,orasalesletter. Getpermissionifyourequotingmorethan50wordsfromanarticleormore than300wordsfromabook.Useastandardpermissionform;askyourpublisher toprovideone. HandingIntheManuscript Makesureyouhaveclean,readablephotocopyofyourmanuscript.Originals dogetlostinthemail. Acceptance Thepublishermayacceptyourbookasisorrequestchanges.Thesechanges canbeeitherminororsubstantial.Youarecontractuallyboundtomakethe changesthepublisherrequests.EverybookcontractIhavereadcontainsaclause whichineffectsays,Submityourbook.Wellreadit.Ifwedontlikeitforany reason(orfornoreason),wedonthavetopublishitandwedonthavetopay youradvance.
7

Soinasenseyouarereallyatthepublishersmercy.Inreality,though,dont worry.Thepublisherwantstopublishyourbook(thatswhytheygiveyoua contract)andwillworkwithyoutogetitintopublishableform. Thepubdateistheofficialpublicationdateofyourbookthedatewhenthe booksupposedlywillbeavailableinbookstores. Dontbedisappointedwhenthisdaycomesandgoeswithoutanyhooplaor excitementwhatsoever.Thesadfactis,mostpublishersdontputmuch promotionaleffortbehindmostofthebookstheypublish.Iftheyputoutapress release,printupsomefliers,andgetthebookinsomebookstores,consider yourselffortunate.Manybooksdontevenmakeitintothestoresthesedays! DoItYourself Asanauthor,youhavetobecomethepromoterofyourbook. Whatcanyoudo?Sendsalesflierstoprospects.Giveawaycopiesasgiftsto yourclients.Sendreviewcopiestobusinessjournalsthatcoveryourindustry. Establishspeakingengagementsandtalkaboutyourbookatmeetingsand conversations.Sendpressreleasestoyourhometownpaperandgetthemtodoa storyonyou.Ifyourbookisaboutadvertisingormarketing,sendittoandIll reviewit(maybe). Gotolocalbookstoresandmakesureyourbookisplacedprominentlyinthe businesssection,withthefrontcoverfacingout.Correspondwithpeoplewho writetotellyouyourbookwashelpful.Behappythatyouareapublishedauthor, andthatyouradviseishelpingsomeoneouttheredohisorherjobbetterand moreprofitably. Andofcourse,dontforgettodedicateyourbooktoyourmother.

Section2

FindingaGoodIdeaforYourBook
Thejourneyofathousandmanuscriptspages(oreven150)beginswitha singleidea.Hereshowtofindone. Manypeoplewhoattendmybookpublishingseminarsalreadyhaveabook ideainmind.Others,however,haveastrongdesiretowriteabook,butarestuck oncomingupwithasuitabletopic.Ifyoufallintothiscategory,hereareten sourcesofideasforbooksyoumaywanttowrite: 1. JOBEXPERIENCE Anobviousbutoftenoverlookedsourceofbookideasisyourjob.Thousands ofexcellentbookshavebeenwrittenbyauthorsaboutaskill,expertiseorcareer experiencegainedonthejob. ThisishowIcametowritemyfirstbook,TechnicalWriting:Structure,Standards andStyle(McGrawHill).Myfirstjobaftergraduatingcollegewasasatechnical writerforWestinghouseElectricCorp.inBaltimore.Afterseveralmonthswriting technicalmaterials,Ibegantofeeltheneedforawritingguidetoassisttechnical writerswithmattersofstyle,usage,punctuationandgrammar(forexample,does onewrite1/4or0.25oronefourthintechnicaldocuments?).Beingbookminded,I wenttothebookstoresandfoundnothingappropriate. Myideawastocompileastyleguidefortechnicalwritersmodeledafterthe bestsellinggeneralwritingstyleguide,TheElementsofStyle,byStrunkandWhite. Iwroteacontentoutlineandbookproposal,andbegantopursueagentsand publishers.Iwasextremelylucky:ThefirstagentwhosawTechnicalWriting agreedtorepresentthebook,andwithinthreeweeks,hesoldittothefirst

publishertolookatit,McGrawHill.Theadvancewas$8,500notbadforafirst timeauthorin1981forashort(100page)book. NoteverybookIvewrittensincehassoldsoquicklyandeasily.But subsequently,Ihavewrittenanumberofbooksbasedonskillsandexperiences gainedinvariouscareersandjobs. Doyouholdahighlydesirablepositionorworkinaglamorousindustry? Thenyoucanwriteabooktellingothershowtogetintoyourlineofwork. Haveyoudevelopedspecificandvaluableskillssuchascomputerskills selling,marketing,finance,negotiatingorprogrammingskillsthatothersneed tomaster?Theresaneedforabooktellingthemhowtodoit. 2. TEACHACOURSE Therearemanyopportunitiesforyoutodesignandteachcoursestoother peopleatwork,atadulteducationeveningclassesatthelocalhighschoolor college,acommunitycolleges,atassociationmeetingsandevenonthe universitylevel. Ifyougettheopportunitytoteachacourse,keepinmindthatthetopicand contentoutlineyoudevelopforthecoursemayhaveappealtoapublisherasthe outlineforapotentialbookonthesamesubject. In1981,aprivateseminarcompanyofferinglowcostpublicseminarsinNew YorkCityaskedmetodoaneveningprogramonmarketingandpromotionfor smallbusiness.ThepaywaslousybutIaccepted.Ayearorsolater,Itoolthe coursetitleandoutline,turneditintoabookproposal,andsoldmysecondbook, HowtoPromoteYourOwnBusiness,toNewAmericanLibrary. Ifyouwanttowritenonfictionbookstherearetwoadvantagestoteachinga classorseminar.First,indevelopingandteachingthecourseyouwill simultaneouslybedoingmostofthelegworknecessarytoproduceabookonthe subject.Therefore,onceyouvegiventhecourse,transformingitintoabookisa
10

relativelyquickandeasynextstep(oratleastquickerandeasierthandoing,book fromscratch). Second,teachingthecoursepositionsyouasanexpertinthesubjectmaking youmoreattractivetobookpublishers.Theyfigurethatanyonewhocangivea courseonthetopicmusthaveasubstantialamountofinformationandexpertise toshare.Ifyoutaughtthecourseataprestigious,wellknowninstitution,that furtherboostsyourcredibility 3. TAKINGCOURSES Takingcoursescanalsogiveyoufreshinfusionofideasandinformationthat canbecomethebasisforabook. ThesameprivateseminarcompanyIwasteachingsmallbusinesspromotion seminarsforofferedanumberofcoursesindifferentcareerareas,whichasan instructor,Icouldtakeforfree.Aftertakingseveral,Icameupwiththeideaof doingacareerbookonhowtobreakintosomeofthemoreexciting,glamorous industriesandprofessions,suchasmusic,film,advertising,travelandtelevision. Thebook,CreativeCareers:RealJobsinGlamourFields,waspublishedbyJohnWiley &Sons. Warning:Whenyoutakethecourse,dontstealorplagiarizetheinstructors seminar,reprintingitwordforwordasyourbook.Consideritastartingpointand supplementitwithadditionalresearchfrommanyothersources(bookarticles, interviews,otherseminars,etc.) Iftheinstructordoeshavegoodinformationyouwanttoreprint(suchas listsofcontactsandresources),gethispermissioninwriting.Youcanalsoask theinstructorifheorshewillagreetobeinterviewedbyyouforinclusionin thebook.
11

4. WRITEABOUTYOURLIFEEXPERIENCES Itisinthetotalityofexperiencereckonedwith,filedandforgotten,thateach manistrulydifferentfromallothersintheworld,writesRayBradburyinZenin theArtofWriting.Everypersoneverylife,isunique,andthisiswhysaythat everyonehasatleastonebookinsidethem:Whathashappenedtoyouhasnot happenedtootherpeople,andyourexperienceswillmakeforabookthatiseither instructive,entertaining,movingoranycombinationofthese. Thisappliestoeveryone.Forexample,ifyouhavechosentoremainsingleyou canwriteLivingAloneandLovingItorasimilarbookonthejoysofbeingsingle.If youaremarriedwithchildren,youhaveuniqueexperiencesasaparent,andcan shareyourknowledgeandexperienceswithothersinanentertainingor informativebook.Ifyouaremarriedbuthavebeenunabletohavechildren,you havecredibilitytowriteabookoninfertility.Ifyouandyourspousehavenothad childrenbychoice,youcanwriteabookonChoosingtoLiveChildFree.Ifyouhave onlyonechild,youcanwriteRaisingtheSingleChild.Ifyoureasingleparent,you canwriteStraightTalkandAdviceforSingleParents. In1982,theNewYorkCityengineeringfirmemployingmetoldmeIwould havetorelocate.MyfiancedidnotwanttoleaveManhattan,soIresignedand startedanewcareerasaselfemployedindustrialwriter,producingbrochures anddatasheetsforchemicalcompaniesandindustrialequipmentmanufacturers. Thetransitionfromemployeetofreelancerwasaneducationalexperience,one Iknewmanyotherswouldgothrough(orwouldhopeto,someday).Thisbecame thetopicofmybook,OutonYourOwn:FromCorporatetoSelfEmployment,also publishedbyWiley. 5. WRITEABOUTAPROCESSORTASKYOUKNOWHOWTODO Throughwork,leisureorlifeexperience,weallhavedonethingsthatmany otherpeoplehavenotdone,andthereforeknowagooddealmoreaboutthese
12

thingsthantheydo.Theinexperiencedwouldliketolearnfromyourexperiences andavoidyourmistakes,andabookistheidealvehicleforthis. Forinstance,afterresigningfromtheengineeringfirmandbecomingaself employedindustrialwriterin1982,Iwasforcedtolearnhowtosucceedinthe commercialwritingfieldonmyown;therewasnobooktoguideme.Imade manyexpensivemistakesandlearnedfromexperience. Tohelpotherwritersspeedthelearningcurveandavoidthesemistakes,I wroteSecretsofaFreelanceWriter,publishedbyHenryHolt&Co.Thebookis abouttheprocessofrunningafreelancewritingbusiness,coveringeverything fromgettingstartedandfindingclientstosettingfeesandnegotiatingcontracts. 6. WRITINGABOUTYOURHOBBY Hobbiesthatfascinateyounodoubtfascinatealotofotherpeople.Asa hobbyist,youhavemuchmoreknowledgethanajournalistorotheroutsiderwho wouldhavetoresearchthefieldfromscratch.Whynotturnyourhobbyinto profitcenterbywritingabookaboutit? Oneofmyhobbiesiscollectingcomicbooks.IloveSuperman,Batman Wolverine,andtheotherDCandMarvelsuperheroes. WhenIgraduatedcollegein1979,Iburnedwiththedesiretowriteabookand getitpublished.Istartedtwobookprojects.OnewasaHarlequinromancenovel, whichIstartednotbecauseIenjoyHarlequinromancenovelsIvenevereven readonebutbecauseIfigureditwouldbeeasytodo.Iwaswrong.Iwrote 40pagesoftheworstHarlequinromancenovelofalltimebeforeabandoning theproject. Butwritingthosepagestaughtmeanimportantlesson:Dontselectatopic orformforyourbookjustbecauseyouthinkitiscommerciallyviableandwill makeyoualotofmoney.Ifyoudo,yourlackofenthusiasmwillshowthrough inyourwriting.
13

Ontheotherhand,ifyouarepassionateaboutyourtopic,yourenthusiasm willshowthroughinyourwriting.Thebookwillbeeasierandmorefuntowrite, andthefinalproductwillbemuchbetterinquality. ThesecondbookprojectIstartedworkingonwasatriviabookoncomicbook superheroes,writteninquizform.Forexample:Whatarethesixtypesof kryptonite?(Green,red,blue,white,gold,jewel.)WhatwasSpiderMansmajorin college?(Physics.) Iwroteashortmanuscriptand,havingnocontactsinpublishing,and noknowledgeofthepublishingbusiness,sentittoeditorsatvariouspaperback publisherswithacoverletter.Itwasrejectedbyall.Igaveupandputitin adrawer. Yearslater,whenIwascleaningoutsomefiles,Icameacrossthemanuscript. Iwasgoingtothrowitout,butinsteadmailedittomyliteraryagentwithanote saying,Doyouthinkyoucandoanythingwiththis? Sixweekslater,shecalledandsaidshedsoldthebook.Iwasspeechless,The book,ComicBookHeroes:1,101TriviaQuestionsAboutAmericasFavoriteSuperheroes FromtheAtomtotheXMen,waspublishedbyCitadelPress. ThesecondlessonIlearnedfromthis,experiencewas:Abookideathatdoesnt sellnowmightselllater.Ifyougetrejectedbypublishers,dontthrowawayor forgetaboutthebookproposal.Fileitandmakeanotetotakeanotherlookalitin sixortwelvemonths.Sometimeyouhavesuccessonthesecondorthirdtry becausethetimingisright.Othertimes,youseetheideafromafreshperspective, rewriteit,andmakethesalewiththerevisedbookproposal.Whenaskedto addressthegraduatingclassatOxford,WinstonChurchill,agreatwriter,stood up,saidonlyNevergiveup,andsatbackdown.Thesethreewordsaregood adviceforauthorswhowanttosellbookproposalstopublishers.

14

Eventually,athirdlessonrevealeditself:Everybookpublishedgivesyou credentialthatcanleadtomorebookcontractsinthesamefield. Ienjoyedwritingthecomicbooktriviabook.Afteritcameout,Ithoughabout doingtriviabooksonothertopicsinasimilarformat. IwasalwaysabigStarTrekfan.ThisresultedintwobookswithHarper Collins:TheUltimateUnauthorizedStarTrekQuizBookandWhyYouShouldNever BeamDowninaRedShirt.Aspublishersbegantoseemeasawriterofpopular culturetrivia,Ireceivedseveralmorecontractsalongthisline,includingWhats YourFrasierI.Q.?,aquizbookontheTVshowFrasier. Booksabouthobbiescanbehowto,moneymaking,reference,specializedor generalinformation.Ifyouhaveaninterestintropicalfish,forexample,youcould writeHowtoKeepTropicalFish(howto),HowtoBreedTropicalFishforFunandProfit (moneymaking),AnIllustratedGuidetoAquariumFish(reference),Careand BreedingofFancyGuppies(specialized)orYourFirstFishTank(general). Noticethatthefirstsixmethodsonthislistinvolveyou,theauthor,having somespecialinsight,experienceorinformationonthetopicofyourbook.Author andpublisherDanPoyntersays:Writeaboutsomethinginwhichyouarea participant.Theworldneedsmorebookswrittenbywriterswhoarealsoexperts, notwriterswhoarejournalists. Concentrateontheareathatinterestsyou,andifyourenotanexpert now,youmaybecomeone,writesTomPeelerinTheWriter.Andevenif theareaofintereststillrequiresconsultationwithrecognizedprofessionals, specializationwillallowyoutodevelopregularsourcesandwillgiveyou credibilitywiththem. OneofGaryLarsonsFarSidecartoonsshowsanauthorautographinghis bookatabooksigning.Thecaptionreads,Afterbeingfrozeninicefor10,000 years,Thagpromoteshisautobiography.Thetitleofthebook:ItWasVeryCold
15

andICouldntMove.Obviously,nopublisherexpectsyoutohave10,000yearsof experienceinyoursubjectmatter.Butwritingaboutsomethingyouknow,have experiencedorhaveachievedisoneroutetocomingupwithabookideaa publisherwillbuyfromyou. 7. COLLECTANDCOMPILETIDBITSOFSCATTEREDINFORMATION Areyouinterestedinaspecificfieldofknowledgeorstudy?Andareyouthe typewhoclipsarticlesandcollectstidbitsofinformationonyourtopic?Ifso,you canconvertthispassionforinformationbycompilingyourcollectedknowledge intobookform. Forawhile,Ibecamefascinatedwithallthetollfreeconsumerhelplinesand hotlinesIsawadvertised,givingfreeinformationoneverythingfromAIDS preventiontogardeningtipstostockmarketquotes.Ibecameanobsessive collectorofthesenumbers,clippingarticlesandwritingdown800numbersI heardonradioandsawonTV.Finally,Icompiledthemintoabook,Information HotlineU.S.A.,publishedbyNewAmericanLibrary. Similarly,afriendofmine,DonHauptman,isobsessedbylanguageingeneral andwordplayinparticular.Donisacollectorofinformation,andbegan collectingacronyms(suchasDNA,LSD,scuba,laser).Whenhiscollectiongot largeenough,heturneditintoabookonacronyms,Acronymania,published byDell. 8. FINDANDFILLANEEDORGAPINTHEREADERSKNOWLEDGE Anexcellentwayoffindingmarketableideasistotalkwithpeopleandfind outwhattheywantandneedtoknow,thenwriteabooktosatisfythat informationneed. Forexample,anattorneywithgoodnegotiatingskillsheardmanyclients tellinghimthattheytoowishedtheyhadgoodnegotiatingskillsandwouldlike helpbecomingbetternegotiators.Theattorneybecameamillionairebywriting
16

andsellingbooks,audioandvideotapeprograms,seminarsandtrainingsessions innegotiatingskills. Workingasabusinessconsultant,Isawthereweredozensofbooksonsales, butalmostnothingonhowtogenerateleadsforsalespeople.IproposedTheLead GenerationHandbook,whichsoldtoAmacom,thepublishingdivisionofthe AmericanManagementAssociation. AndwhenwemovedoutofNewYorkCityandboughtahomeinthesuburbs, weknewnothingaboutplumbing,electricity,gardening,cars,aluminumsiding, roofing,orthedozensofotherthingseveryhomeownereventuallybecomes familiarwith.Ithought,Whynotdoabookthatwillbeaninstructionmanualfor firsttimehomeowners? IwroteaproposalforabooktitledTheHomeownersSurvivalGuide.Noone wasinterested,andIputtheproposalawayinafileandforgotaboutit.Several yearslater,amajorpublisheroneforwhomIvenowwrittenseveralbookscame outwithsuchabookwiththeexactsametitle.Anotherlessonlearned:Pay attentiontoyourowngutfeelings.HadIkepttryingwiththisbook,asIadvise youtodo,itmightverywellhavesoldwithinayearorso.ButIgaveuponit,and nowanotherauthorsnameisonthecover. 9. TAKEANEXISTINGTOPICANDTARGETITTOA SPECIFICAUDIENCE Acommonsituationistheauthorwhowantstowriteabookonaspecifictopic butfindsthefieldovercrowded. Thishappenstoallofus:Yougetanideaforabook,getexcitedaboutit.But thenyouvisitthebookstoreandfindtwoshelvesfullofbooksonthesametopic, booksthatseemverymuchlikeyours.Youbecomediscouragedbythe competition,giveupanddroptheidea.Dont!Youcanstillwritethatbook.You justneedafreshslant,angleorhook.

17

Oneoftheeasiestandmostsuccessfulmethodstofindingthisfreshslantisto targetyourbooktowardaspecificaudiencewithinthemarket.Forexample,a womanseminarleadertoldmeshewantedtowriteabookonpresentationskills, butwasafraidtotrybecausesomanybooksalreadyexist.Shementionedatone pointthatshetrainedmainlywomen.Iaskedherifwomenmakingpresentations inthebusinessworldfaceadifferentsetofchallengesthanmendo.Ofcourse, shereplied. Then,Isuggested,thetitleofyourbookshouldbePresentationSkills forWomen. Inthesameway,Iwantedtowriteabookonselling,butfoundthemarket overcrowded.Sincemyexperienceisinsellingservicesvs.products,Ioffered HoltabookonSellingYourServices. 10.WRITEWHATINTERESTSYOU Inadditiontofindingoutwhatinterestsotherpeople,anexcellentsourceof ideasiswhatinterestsyou.Youareacurious,intelligent,creativehumanbeing, constantlythinkingandwonderingabouttheworldaroundyou.Chancesare whatinterestsyouwillinterestmanyotherpeople,too. ImabigStephenKingfan,asaremanyothers.HavingwrittentheTVand comicbookquizbooks,InaturallythoughtofdoingaquizbookonStephenKing. MyagentpromptlysoldittoKensingtonBooks,apaperbackpublisherinNew YorkCity. Irecommendyoukeepanotebook,filefolderorcomputerfilelabeledbook ideas,andwheneveranideaforabookcomestomind,writeitdownandsaveit. Dontworrywhetherthebookwilleventuallyinterestapublisher.Creatingideas andanalyzing/assessingideasaretwoseparateactivities,andshouldnotoverlap. Dontholdyourcreativityback;lettheideasflowandquicklygetthemalldown

18

onpaper.Lateryoucandecidewhichwontworkandwhichmeritfurthereffort. Butfirst,youmusthavetheidea.

Section3 TheBulletproofBookProposal
Publishersaskfivekeyquestionsabouteveryprojecttheyconsider.Heres howtomakesureyourproposalgivesalltheanswers. Youhaveagreatideaforanonfictionbook.Yourspousethinksitsagreat idea.Yourparentsthinkitsagreatidea.Evenyourneighborwhohatestoread thinksitsagreatidea. Butwillapublisherthinkitsagreatideaenoughtopayyouanadvance, commissionyoutowriteit,andpublishandsellit? Thatwilldependlargelyonyourbookproposal.Hereswhereyou demonstratepersuasivelythatyourideahasmerit.Ofcourse,evenasolididea andagreatbookproposalcantguaranteesuccess,buttheysurelycantiptheodds inyourfavor.Butifeithertheideaortheproposalisweak,yourchancesofasale areslimtonone. Itsnosecretwhatbookeditorslookforwhenreviewingbookideasand proposals.Youllimproveyourchancesofwinningapublisherscontractby testingyourbookproposalagainstthefivekeyquestionseditorsask.Letslookat thosequestionsandthebestwaystoanswerthem. 1.Istherealargeenoughaudienceinterestedinthistopictojustify publishingthebook?

19

ThemajorNewYorkpublishinghousesarentinterestedinhighlyspecialized bookswrittenforsmall,narrowinterestaudiences.Ifyouwanttowritethe definitiveworkonLAN/WANinternetworking,forexample,seekoutapublisher oftechnicalbooks. Bigpublishersareprimarilyinterestedinbookstorebooksthatis,books thatappealtoageneralaudienceoratleasttoalargesegmentofthegeneral population.Examplesofsuchaudiencesincludeparents,smallbusinessowners, corporateexecutives,fitnessenthusiasts,moviebuffs,usersofpersonal computers,teenagers,andotherlargeaffinitygroups. Abookaimedatamajorpublishermustappealtoanaudienceofhundredsof thousandsofpeople,ifnotmillions.Tosellyourideatotheeditor,youmust demonstratethatsuchanaudienceexists.InourproposalforHowtoPromoteYour OwnBusiness(acceptedandpublishedbyNewAmericanLibrary),GaryBlakeand Icitedstatisticsshowingtherearemorethan10millionsmallbusinessesintheUS and250,000newbusinessesstartedeachyear. OneexcellentsourceofmarketdataisStandardRateandDataService(SRDS),a booklistingUSmagazinesthatacceptadvertisingandtheircirculations.SRDSis availableatyourlocallibraryorfromthepublisher(tel.847/3755000).Ifyoure proposingabookonfreelancewriting,forexample,youcouldlookupwriters magazinesandfindthatthetwolargestpublicationsinthefieldhaveacombined circulationofmorethan300,000;thisisthepotentialmarketforyourbook. Butonlyasmallpercentageoftheintendedaudiencewillactuallybuyyour book.Andamajorpublisherhopestosellatleast5,000copiesofyourbook.Soif yourewritingabookthatappealsonlytothe44,171branchmanagersworkingat banksnationwide(say,HowtoManageYourBranchMoreEfficiently),and2%canbe persuadedtobuythebook,youvesoldonly883copiesnotnearlyenoughto maketheprojectworthwhileforeitheryouorapublisher.
20

2.Isthisabookoramagazinearticle? Attheonsetofthe1991recession,IcameupwithanideaforabookIthought wouldbeastrongsellerRecessionProofBusinessStrategies:WinningMethodstoSell AnyProductorServiceinaDownEconomy.Itwastimely. Ithadstrongmediaappeal.Anditcontainedvitalinformationreaders desperatelyneeded. But,asmyagentpointedout,thereweretwoproblemswiththebook.First,its timelynature.Fromconceptiontobookstore,itcantake18monthstotwoyearsto writeandpublishabook.IftherecessionwasoverbythetimeRecessionProof BusinessStrategiescameout,thebookwouldbomb. Second,myagentwasconcernedthattherewasntenoughmaterialtofilla book.Andhewasright. Theaveragenonfictionbookisabout200pagesintypeset,publishedform, withapproximately400wordsapage.Thats80,000words;about320double spacedtypewrittenmanuscriptpages.Yourbookmightbelongerorshorter, rangingfrom35,000words(aslim,100pagevolume)to200,000wordsormore. Troublewas,whenIfinishedwritingeverythingIknewaboutrecessionproof businessstrategies,Ihad5,000wordstooshortforabook,toolongfor anarticle.Thesolution?IselfpublishedRecessionProofBusinessStrategiesasa $7bookletandsoldseveralthousandcopies.Soabookletnotabookwasthe rightvehicleforthismaterial. Manybookideasseemstronginitially,butwiltundercloseexamination. Forexample,a(tome)wonderfulbooktitlepoppedintomyheadawhileback: HowtoSurviveaMidlifeCrisisatAnyAge.Mycoauthorloveditandwantedtodo thebook.Butwhenwesatdown,wecouldntthinkofanythingtoputinit!We soonabandonedtheidea.

21

Howdoyouknowwhetheryourideaisabook,articleorbookletand howdoyouconvinceapublisherthatyourconceptisabigone?Hereare someguidelines: First,seeifthereareotherbooksonthetopic.Theexistenceofafewsimilar titlesindicatesthatthisideaisbigenoughtodeserveabook,sinceother publishersboughtandpublishedbooklengthmanuscriptsonthetopic. Second,gotothelibraryandseewhatelseiswrittenonthetopic.Ifyoufeel overwhelmedbyallthemagazinearticles,newspaperstories,booklets, pamphlets,surveys,reportsandstatisticsonyourtopic,thatsagoodindication thetopicismeatyenoughtojustifyafulllengthbook. Forexample,Iheardapublicserviceannouncementdescribingatollfree numberyoucouldcalltogetsafetyinformationaboutanycaryouwerethinking ofbuying.Ithought,Thereseemstobealotofthesefreeconsumerhotlines;why notorganizethemintoareferencebook? Iresearchedthesubjectanddiscoveredtherewereindeedhundredsofsuch hotlines.NewAmericanlibraryboughtthebookandpublisheditasInformation HotlineUSA.IfIduncoveredonlyafewsuchhotlines,NewAmericanLibrary wouldhaverejectedmyproposal. Thethirdsteptoconvincingapublisherthatyourtopicisbroadenoughto warrantabookistoorganizeyourinformationintochapters.Thinkabouthow youwouldlogicallyexplainyourtopicorpresentyourinformation,andorganize itintomajorcategories.Thesewillbecomechapterheadings. Afulllengthnonfictionbooktypicallyhas815chapters.Ifyouroutlinehas fewer,thepublishermaythinktheresnotenoughinformationtofillabookon yourtopic.Shootforanoutlinewithatleast10chapters. Onindexcards,organizeallyourresearchmaterialbychapter.Thenaddthe mostimportantorinterestingitemsasbulletpointsinyourchapteroutlineto
22

createacompletetableofcontentsforyourproposedbook.Hereshowmyco authorandIdescribedChapter15inourproposalforHowtoPromoteYour OwnBusiness: Chapter15:OnWiththeShowTradeShowsandDisplays Whydopeopleattendtradeshows? Howtoselecttheshowsatwhichyouwillexhibit Creatingeffectivetradeshowdisplays Fivethingsyoucandotoattractmoreprospectstoyourexhibit: demonstrations,productsamples,freegifts,contestsandentertainment Otherusesforyourdisplaymaterials:retailpointofpurchase,malls, lobbydisplays Thistypeofdetailedtableofcontentsprovestothepublisherthatyourtopicis appropriateforabook,notjustamagazinearticle. 3.Whatsdifferentorbetteraboutyourbook? Thefirstpageortwoofyourbookproposalmustcontainanoverviewofyour idea.Thisdescribeswhatthebookisaboutwhoifswrittenforandwhats init. Youroverviewmustalsotelltheeditorwhyandhowyourbookisunique, different,orbetterthanotherbooksalreadypublishedonthistopic.Andyou mustdothiswithinthefirsttwoparagraphs(ifyoudont,theeditorprobably wontreadfurther). Thehooktheanglethatmakesyourbookdifferentcantakemanyforms:It mightbeaslanttowardadifferentaudience,abetterwayoforganizingthe material,orinclusionoftopicsnotcoveredinotherbooks.Thekeyistomakeyour bookseembothdifferentandbetter. Forinstance,iftheotherbooksarentillustrated,saythatyourbookwillbe andexplainwhythatsimportant.Iftheotherbooksarelengthy,promisetowrite
23

amoreconcisebook.Iftheotherbooksareincomplete,describethetopicsthey omitandtellhowyoullcovertheminyourbook. WhenplanningHowtoPromoteYourOwnBusiness,mycoauthorandIhoped towriteabookonadvertisingthatwouldappealtosmallbusinessownersrather thanadvertisingagencies,PRfirmsandotheradvertisingprofessionals.Weused thisasourhook;ourproposalbegan: HowtoPromoteYourOwnBusinessisnotabookfortheprofessionalpublicist, promoteroradvertisingprofessional.Rather,itisapracticalworkingpromotion guideforthe10.8millionAmericanswhoowntheirownbusinesses,andthe 250,000entrepreneurswhostartnewbusinesseseachyear. Wewroteapreviousbook,TechnicalWriting.Structure,StandardsandStyle, becausewebelievedtheexistingtechnicalwritingbooksweretoolengthyand dulltobesuitableasreferencesforworkingtechnicalwriters.Wewantedtocreate ahandbookfortechnicalwritersthatemulatedtheconcise,tothepointstyleand formatofTheElementsofStyle,WilliamStrunkandE.B.Whitespopularstyle guideforgeneralwriters. OurproposalcalledourbooktheStrunkandWhiteoftechnicalwriting, whichinstantlycommunicatedthekeyappealoftheconcept.Ouragentsoldthe bookwithinthreeweekstothefirstpublisherwholookedatit.Interestingly, McGrawHillalsousedthephrasetheStrunkandWhiteoftechnicalwritingin publicityandpromotionalmaterialsdescribingthebook. Anothersectionofyourproposalthatpositionsyourbookinrelationtoothers onthesamesubjectistheCompetitionsection.Hereyoulistand describecompetingbooks;eachlistingshouldemphasizehowyourbookis bothdifferentandbetter.HereisanexamplefromourHowtoPromoteYour OwnBusinessproposal:

24

1.HowtoAdvertiseandPromoteYourSmallBusiness,byConnieMcClungSiegel, JohnWiley&Sons,1978,128pages,$4.95tradepaperback. ThisbookispartofJohnWileysSmallBusinessSeries.Theauthorneglects severalvitalareasofsmallbusinesspromotion,includingmailorder,sales literature,tradeshows,anddisplays,contestsandnewsletters.Thereareveryfew examplesofactualpromotions,andtheauthorgivesnoindicationofthecosts involvedortheresultsachieved.Thebookdoesnotprovidestepbystep instructionsforselectingandimplementingpromotions. IncludeintheCompetitionsectionthosebooksthatcoverthesameorvery similartopicsasyourbook;thatarepublishedbyamajorpublishinghouse;and thatarenomorethanfiveyearsold. Howmanybooksyoulistinthissectionwillbeimportant.Thepresenceoftwo tosixcompetitivebooksshowstheresamarketforthistypeofbook,whilestill roomforonemore.Ontheotherhand,iftherearesevenormorebooksa publishermaythinkthefieldisovercrowded,andyoullprobablyhaveadifficult timemakingthesale. 4.Willpeoplepay$22.95forthisbook? Theaveragehardcovernonfictionbooksellsfor$22.95ormore;theaverage tradepaperbackfor$12.95.Yourbookmustbeinterestingorvaluableenoughto makereaderspartnotonlywiththeirmoney(remember,theycanalwaysread yourbookforfreeatthelibrary),butwiththeirtimeaswell(manypeoplewould ratherwatchTV,gotothemoviesornapthanreadabook). Whenitcomestononfiction,readerstypicallybuybookstolearnsomething, forreferenceortobeentertained. Ahowtoorreferencebookproposalshouldstressthebenefitsreaderswillget whentheybuythebook.Willithelpthemsavetimeandmoney?Makemoney? Lookbeautiful?Feelyoung?livelonger?Ifyourbookwillmakereaderslives
25

betterandeasier,sayso.InourproposalforHowtoPromoteYourOwnBusiness, wesaid: HowtoPromoteYourOwnBusinessisuniquebecauseitgoesrighttothe heartoftheproblem:Howcantheownerormanagerofasmallbusiness apersonwithlittletime,moneyandpromotionexpertisepromotehisbusiness aseffectivelyashisbigger,wealthiercompetitors? Ifyourbookisbiography,journalism,history,oranyotherformofnonfiction writtenprimarilytoentertain,yourproposalshouldhighlightsomeofthemore fascinatingdetailsofthebook.Youraimistomaketheeditorwanttoreadthe wholestory. 5.Whyshouldthepublisherhireyoutowriteit? Yourproposalmustshowwhyyoureuniquelyqualifiedtowritethe book.Suchqualificationsfallintotwocategories:writingcredentialsand expertcredentials. Writingcredentialsestablishyourexpertiseasanauthor.InanAboutthe Authorsectionofyourbookproposal,writeabriefbiographicalsketchof yourself,beingsuretoincludesuchinformationas: titles,publishersanddatesofpublicationforanybooksyouvewritten totalnumberofbooksandarticleswritten(ifthenumberisimpressive) namesofmajormagazinesandnewspapersinwhichyourwork hasappeared excerptsfromfavorablereviewsaboutyourwork salesfiguresforyourbestsellingbooks(iftheyreimpressive).

Expertcredentialsestablishyourpositionasanauthorityinthetopicof

yourproposedbook. Actually,youdonthavetobemuchofanexpert.Thetrickistomakeyourself seemlikeanexperttothepublisher.

Forinstance,authorWilburPerrywantedtowriteaboutmailorder.Tomake himselfmoreappealingasapotentialauthorforabookonthesubjecthestarted andoperatedasmallparttimemailorderbusinessfromhishome.Thisgavehim thecredentialsheneededtoconvinceJohnWiley&Sonstopublishtwobooksby himonthetopic. Inmyexperience,yourexpertcredentialsdontneedtobeindepth. Editorsunderstandyoucanresearchthetopic,andtheydontrequireyouto knoweverythingaboutitbeforebuyingyourbook.Theyjustwanttoconvince theireditorialboardandbuyersthatyouknowwhatyouretalkingabout. Ofcourse,havingapublishedbooktoyourcreditisonecredentialthatalways impressespublishers.AndthatsacredentialImsureyoullsoonhaveifyou followthefivekeypointscoveredinthisarticle. TheMakingofaWinningBookProposal Asuccessfulbookproposalcontainsthesesections: TitlePage Acoversheet.Thebookstitleandthenameoftheauthorarecentered inthemiddleofthepage.Intheupperleftcorner,typeBookProposal.Inthe bottomright,typeyourname,addressandphonenumber(or,ifyouhaveone, youragents). Overview Summarizewhatyourbookisabout:thetopic,whowillreadit,whyits importantorinterestingtoyourintendedaudience,andwhatmakesyourbook differentfromothersinthefield. Format Specifyapproximatewordlength,numberofchapters,typesofillustrationsor graphicstobeincluded,andanyuniqueorganizationalschemesorformats (forexample,isyourbookdividedintomajorsectionsordoyouusesidebars?)
27

Market Telltheeditorwhowillbuyyourbook,howmanyofthesepeopleexist,and whytheyneeditorwillwanttoreadit.Usestatisticstodramatizethesizeofthe market.Forexample,ifyourbookisaboutinfertility,mentionthatoneinsix couplesintheUnitedStatesisinfertile. Promotion IsyourbookanaturalfortalkradioorOprah(berealistic)?Canitbepromoted throughseminarsorspeechestoassociationsandclubs?Givethepublishersome ofyourideasonhowthebookcanbemarketed.(Note:Phrasetheseas suggestions,notdemands.Thepublisherwillbeinterestedinyourideasbut probablywontusemostofthem.) Competition Listbooksthatcomparewithyours.Includethetitle,author,publisher,yearof publication,numberofpages,price,andformat(hardcover,tradepaperbackor massmarketpaperback).Describeeachbookbriefly,pointingoutweaknessesand areasinwhichyourbookisdifferentandsuperior. AuthorsBio Abriefbiographylistingyourwritingcredentials(booksandarticles published),qualificationstowriteaboutthebookstopic(forinstance,forabook onpopularpsychology,ithelpsifyoureatherapist),andyourmediaexperience (previousappearancesonTVandradio). TableofContents/Outline Achapterbychapteroutlineshowingthecontentsofyourproposedbook. Manyeditorstellmethatadetailed,wellthoughtouttableofcontentsina proposalhelpsswaytheminfavorofabook.
28

Section4 UsingPositioningtoSellYourBook
Youcaneasilyadaptpositioning,anadvertisingsalestechniquethatwill makesubmissionsstandoutontheeditorsdeskandintheeditorsmind. WhenIworkedasatechnicalwriteanindustrialequipmentmanufacturerI decidedtowriteabookoftipsandacforfellowtechnicalwriters.Suchabook hadntbeendonebefore. OrsoIthought.VisitstobookstoresandalookatBooksinPrintrevealednearly ahundredbookshadalreadybeenpublishedonthisratherspecializedsubject. HowcouldIcompete? WhenIreadafewofthetechnicalwritingbooks,Iwasstruckbyhowdull, lengthyandpedantictheywere.Engineersandmanagersdontwanta400page treatiseongrammarandsyntax,Iexplainedtoawriterfriendoverlunch.What theyneedandwhatIdliketowriteisabrief,easytoreadstyleguide,a handbooktheycankeepontheirdesksandrefertowhenaquestioncomesup. SomethingliketheStrunkandWhiteoftechnicalwriting. AssoonasIsaidittheStrunkandWhiteoftechnicalwritingwebothknewId foundtheslantthatwouldsetmybookapartfromthecompetitionandsellittoa publisher.Technicalwritingisunfamiliarterritorytomosttradebookeditors;by comparingmyideastotheimmenselypopularElementsofStyle,Imadethegistof myconceptimmediatelyclear. MycoauthorandIwrotea22pageproposalandtwosamplechapters.We handedthispackagetoouragent;withinthreeweekshesoldthebookto McGrawHillmyfirstsaleanywhere.Thebook,titledTechnicalWriting: Structure,Standards,andStyle,waspublishedinhardcoverandtradepaperback

29

andisnowinitstenthprinting.Interestingly,thepublisherusedthephrasethe StrunkandWhiteoftechnicalwritinginitspressreleaseandinapromotional flyeronthebook. Imconvincedthatthebooksoldbecausewehadpositionedit.Positioningis anadvertisingtechniquethatidentifiesandtargetsaproductspotentialbuyers, demonstrateshowthatproductdiffersfromthecompetition,andsummarizesthe productanditsbenefitsbycomparingittoaconceptoraproductthatpeople immediatelyunderstand.Insum,positioningcreatesapositionfortheproductin thebuyersmind. Avis,forexample,oncepositioneditselfasahardworkingunderdogWere number2,sowetryharder. Althoughwemaynotbeawareofit,manyofususepositioningineveryday conversation.Describinganewwordprocessortoafriend,wemightsay,This machineistheRollsRoyceofpersonalcomputers.ThepositionofRollsRoyce connotesexcellence,quality,valueandhighprice.Inthesameway,abookstore ownerdescribedMegatrendstooneofhiscustomersastheFutureShockofthe 1980s.Thecustomer,alreadyfamiliarwithAlvinTofflerswork,couldnow pictureJohnNaisbittsbestsellerwithinthecontextofafamiliarproduct. Ineverybookproposal,Inowincludeastrongstatementthatdefinesthe bookspositioninthemarketplace.Mysmallbusinessbook,HowtoPromoteYour OwnBusiness(NewAmericanLibrary),waspitchedasthesmallbusinessguide toadvertising,publicity,andsalespromotion.DreamJobs(JohnWiley&Sons),a careerguidetosuchhotindustriesascableTV,computersandgenetic engineering,waspositionedasadreamersguidetothemostindemandcareers ofthe1980sandbeyond. Forinformationalandhowtobooks,positioningcanbebasedonthe technicaldepthandaudienceinterestinthesubject.Forexample,whenIwanted
30

towriteabookoncomputersforsmallbusinesses,Ipositionedmyconceptas managementorientedratherthanhardwareoriented.Ibegantheproposal: ThephilosophybehindHOWTOBUYTHERIGHTCOMPUTERFORYOUR SMALLBUSINESSispracticalandstraightforward.Itisthis:Thepurchaseofa smallbusinesscomputerisabusinessdecisionsimilartothedecisiontorentoffice space,leaseacopier,installanewphonesystem,orbuydictatingmachinesforthesales force.Thedecisionmakingprocessforallofthesesituationsisthesame.Onlythespecific factsaredifferent. Somanyhowtobuyasmallbusinesscomputerbookswereonthemarket thatanevensharperpositionwasneededtoselltheidea.Eventually,the publisherboughttheproposalontheconditionthatIaimthebookatonespecific industry.Ichoseapersonalfavoriteadvertisingandmybook,ThePersonal ComputerinAdvertising,waspublishedbyBanburyBooks. Sometimes,positioningcanmakethecompetitionworkforyouratherthan againstyou.WhenwriterFrankEvanswroteaproposalforanencyclopediaof computertechnology,hepositionedtheconceptascomplementingratherthan competingwithexistingtitlesinthefield: ComputersAThroughZ:AnEncyclopediaofDataProcessingrelatestothetwo majorcomputerdictionaries,InternationalComputerDictionary(Sybex,1981)and ThePenguinDictionaryofComputers(PenguinBooks,1970),justastheBritannica relatestoWebsters:itexpandsuponthem.Itisfarmorefocusedthansuchscience encyclopediasasTheMcGrawHillEncyclopediaofScienceandTechnology(McGraw Hill,1971)inthatitprovidescompletecoverageofonespecializedareaof technologyelectronicdataprocessing. Topositionyourbook,clearlyidentifytheintendedaudience,showhowthe bookdiffersfromorcomplementsanyrelatedbooks,anddrawananalogy

31

betweentheproposedbookandsomethingthatwillformafamiliar,favorable imageintheeditorsmind. Andkeepthepositionstatementshort.Someoneoncesaidthateverygood ideacanbewrittenonthebackofabusinesscard.Bycomingupwithasingle, pithysentencetosummarizeandslantyourbookidea,youbreakthroughthe clutterandquicklycommunicateyourconcepttoeditors.Asaresult,youmay findyourselfinafinepositiontobein:thatofapublishedauthor.

Section5

WhattoDoWhenYourBookGoesOutofPrint
Practicaltipsforkeepingyourbookavailable,evenafterthepublishertakesit outofprint,evenifthepublishergoesbankrupt. WhenDodd,MeadpublishedmySecretsofaFreelanceWriterinJuly1988,I didntexpectthecompanytogooutofbusinessfourmonthslater.(Afterall,it hadbeeninbusinessfor150years.)Peoplebegancomplainingtomethatthey couldntgetthebookinbookstores,andbookstorescouldntgetitfromthe publisher.Finally,IreceivedaletterfromDodd,Meadtellingmeitwashaving lossesandcashflowdeficitsandlookingtosellitsassets.Inotherwords,itwas goingbust. ButevenmoreshockingwastherequestthatIbuybackrightstomyown bookfor$2,500! Naturally,Ihadassumedtherightsrevertedtome.Afterall,itwasinmy contract.ButDodd,Meadfeltdifferently.Howweeventuallysettledthedeal andhowyoucanprotectyourselfwhenyourbookgoesoutofprint(meaning,itis

32

nolongeravailabletothepublic)oryourpublishergoesoutofbusinessisthe subjectofthisarticle. Abookrepresentsagreatinvestmentoftime,effortandenergy aninvestmentrarelycoveredbyyouradvancealone.Unfortunately,most booksgooutofprinttooquicklytopaysubstantialroyalties. Buthavingthebookgooutofprintdoesnotputanendtoitsvalue.The physicalinventorytheremainingunsoldbooksthemselveshavevaluetothe author,bothasaproductthatcanbemarketedandsoldonitsown,andasa promotionaltool(forconsultants,doctors,psychologists,speakers,expertsin varioussubjects,andotherswithprofessionalpracticesinthefieldstheir bookscover). Evenmoreimportantaretherightstoreprintandrepublishthework.Evenif youneversellthebooktoanewpublisher,youstillwanttobeabletousethe materialaschaptersinotherbooks,asarticles,lectures,speeches,cassette programs,perhapseveninselfpublishedmaterial.Ifyoudonthavefullandclear ownershipoftheserights,yourmaterialmayremainunreadandunusedforever. BEFOREYOUSIGNONTHEDOTTEDLINE Tomakesureyouretaintherightstoyourbookafteritgoesoutofprint: Makesurethepublishercopyrightsthebookinyourname,and notinitsown.Althoughcopyrightingthebookintheauthorsname isstandardpractice,numeroussmallerpublishers(andafewlarger ones)willmakethemselvesthecopyrightholderunlessyou insistotherwise. Includeacontractclausethatstatesthatrightsreverttoyouwhen thebookgoesoutofprint.In1982,forexample,Ipublisheda dictionaryofcomputerwordswithasmallpress.Whenthepress wentoutofbusiness,IcheckedmycontractandfoundthatIhad
33

neglectedtoinsistonaclausedealingwithrightsreversion(often calledtheterminationclauseinastandardpublisherscontract). Nowthebooksareoutofprint,theformerownerofthepublishing housewontreturnmyphonecalls,andmyrightstoreusethe materialareprobablylostforever. Makesurethecontractdefinesoutofprintsobothyouandthe publisherknowwhenyoucanrequestreassignmentofrights.One publisherscontractsaysthebookisoutofprintwhensubsequent tooneyearfrompublicationdate,noearningshavebeenpayableto theauthorduringtwoconsecutiveaccountingperiods(12months). Afterthat,thepublishermustrepublish,reselloractivelymarketthe bookwithinsixmonths,orrightsreverttotheauthor. Becarefuloftrickyclauses.Anotherpublisherscontractsaysthatrightsdont reverttotheauthoruntiltheworkisoutofprintinallformsofmedia.This meansthatifthebookgoesoutofprint,yetthepublishercontinuestosella cassetteversion,avideotape,orevenasmallpamphletbasedonthebook,Icant offerthebookitselftoanotherpublisher. Makesurethecontractspecifieswhathappenstotheremaining inventoryofbooksandtheoriginalcamerareadycopywhenthe bookgoesoutofprint.InmycontractswithDodd,Mead,this clausereads:TheAuthorshallhavetherighttopurchasefromthe Publisherallcopiesremainingatcostofmanufacture,andtheplates andengravings(ifinexistence)atonehalftheircosttothe Publisher,includingcomposition. Gettingthecopiesisimportantifyouintendtosellthem,usethemas promotionalgiveaways,orsimplywantthemasmementos.Gettingtheplatesis evenmoreimportant,becauseanewpublishercanreprintyourbookdirectly
34

fromtheexistingplatesorfilms,savingenormousamountsoftimeandmoney. Andthis,frankly,isasellingpointwhenmarketingthebooktoanewpublisher. Chooseareputablepublisherwithagoodtrackrecord.This,I admit,canbedifficult.Forinstance,intheearly1980s,Ipublished sixbookswithBanburyBooks,asmall,entrepreneurialpublishing firmthatwasasuccessfulpioneerincomputerbooks.Whenthe computerbookmarketwentsoft,Banburywentoutofbusiness,and mysixbookswentoutofprint. Ivowedtostickwithmajorpublishers.Then,afterpublishingtwobookswith Dodd,Meadafirmthathadbeeninbusinesssince1839itfoldedin1989,and twomorebookswereoutofprint. Meanwhile,myfriendRogerParkerhascompletedsomesuccessfuland lucrativebooksforasmallpublisherIhadneverheardofVentana.Rogers bookscontinuetoselllikegangbusters,andbothheandVentanaaremakingalot moremoneyinpublishingthanIamrightnow. Still,alarge,establishedpublisherlikeRandomHouseorSimon&Schusteris probablylesslikelytodisappearthanasmallpresswithonlyacoupleoftitlesin itscatalog. WHENTHEBOOKISPUBLISHED Thebestwaytoprotectyourselffromyourbookgoingoutofprint istohelpthepublishersellitsothatthereisaconstantdemandforit. Somesuggestions: Whenfillingouttheauthorsquestionnaire,givethepublisher completeinformation:onthebook,itssellingpoints,andany resourcesormediaoutletsforpromotion.Thestaffatthepublishing housegetsitsinformationfromyourcompletedauthors

35

questionnaire,notthebookitself(whichtheydonthavetimeto read).Sodonttakethisdocumentlightly. Ifyouredetailedinyouranswers,theauthorsquestionnaireformwontgive yousufficientroomforyourreplies.Itypethequestionsandanswersonmyword processor,whichgivesmemoreroomandallowsmetoinsertentiresectionsof mybookproposalintotheappropriatesectionsofthequestionnaire.Thisgives thepublishersstaffthesamepowerfulmaterialthatsoldmyeditoronthebookin thefirstplace. Volunteertowritepromotionalcopyforthepublisher.Writeyour owncatalogblurbandpressrelease,andgiveittoyoureditorand publicist.Usuallytheywillbeonlytoohappytousewhatyou supplyandhaveyoudothework. Cooperatewiththepublicityandmarketingdepartments.These days,themostcommoncomplaintamongauthorsisthatpublishers dontdoenoughtopromotebooks.Sowhenthepublisherdoesget youaspeakingengagementorbookyouonatalkradioshow,dont bedifficult.Andleteveryoneknowyouareeagerandavailableto domoreofthesame.Gettingpublicityforanauthormakesthe publicistlookgood,soshewillworkwithyouifyouencourageit andifyourbookispromotable. Conductyourownmarketingcampaign.Politelyfindoutwhatthe publisherintendstodoandwhatitwontdo.Then,consider takingupsomeoftheslackyourself.Ifyouhavewrittenabookon management,forexample,andhavesomecontactsatmajor corporations,seeifyoucansellthebookinvolumeasatrainingtool orpremium.Giveseminarsorlecturesatwhichthebookcanbesold

36

toattendees.Thiswontmovelargequantities,butitwillhelp spreadthewordaboutyourbook. Keepatleastadozencopiesonhand.Ifthebooksuddenlygoesout ofprint,andyoucantbuytheremainders,youllneedthesecopies tosendtoprospectivenewpublishers.And,onceyoufindanew publisher,hisproductiondepartmentwillprobablyneedtwoor threecleancopiesofthebooktoprintfrom,assumingyoucantget theplatesorfilms. Keepupwiththepublishingindustry.SubscribetoPublishers WeeklyandWritersDigest.Ifyoureadorhearrumorsthatyour publisherisinfinancialtroubleorisatargetforacquisition,callyour editorandbuyatleastahundredcopiesofyourbook(atyour authorsdiscount,ofcourse).Onceapublishinghousesmoney problemsarebadenoughtobecomepublicrumor,financial collapsewhichcanresultininaccessibilityoftheirinventorycan happenfasterthanyouthink. Anotherwarningsignthatyourpublisherishavingfinancialdifficultiesislate royaltypaymentsandstatements. WHENYOURBOOKGOESOUTOFPRINT Soonerorlater,despiteyourbestefforts,yourbookwillgooutofprint.Either thepublisherwillnotifyyou,orroyaltystatementswillindicatethatthebookisnt beingsoldanymore.Ifyouveprotectedyourselfbyincludingthecontractclauses Isuggested,youreingoodshape. Notsurewhatyourcontractssay?Gotoyourfilesandcheckallcontractsfor yourexistingbooks.Theresagoodchanceyourcontractscontaintheseclauses.If youdonthaveaclauserevertingtherightsofyouroutofprintbooktoyou,the goingwillbetougher,butnotimpossible.Somepublishersespeciallyfinancially
37

soundoneswillbereasonableandgiveyoutherights.Othersusuallysmall onesgoingoutofbusinessmaynotrespondtoyourrequestatall. Hereswhattodo: Sendalettertothepublisherrequestingthatallrightsrevertto you.Ifyourcontractcontainsareversionclause,sayso. Considerbuyingtheremaininginventoryofbooksandthe printingplatesorfilms,butatareasonableprice.Includeasentence inyourletterthatindicatesyourinterestwithoutmakingyouseem tooeager.Forexample:Ifyouareinterestedinsellingthe remaininginventoryandtheplates,Imaybeacustomer. Ifalliswell,thepublishershouldrespondbyofferingyoutheremaining inventoryatareasonableprice(welldiscusspricinglater).Youshouldgetthe books,thefilmsorplates(ifavailable),andaletterstatingthatallrightshave officiallyrevertedtoyou. WHENTHEPUBLISHERGOESOUTOFBUSINESS Afarmoreseriousproblemariseswhenthebookgoesoutofprintbecausethe publisherisgoingoutofbusiness.Youmightthinkthat,becausethebookisoutof print,tirerightsautomaticallyreverttoyou.Butbeware.Thereappearstobea generalmisconceptioninthepublishingindustrythatifapublisherfailstoremit royaltiesorbecomesthesubjectofeithervoluntaryorinvoluntarycourt supervisedliquidationproceedings,authorscontractualrightsreverttothe authors,statedDodd,Meadinalettertomeconcerningmybooks.Webelieve thattherightsundertheauthorscontractsdonotreverttohim.Infact,insuch recentproceedingsastheSteinandDaybankruptcycase,authorscontractswere soldtothehighestbidder.Therefore,youshouldnotrelyonanyautomaticright ofreversion.

38

Dodd,Meadsentmeanoticeofferingtosellmetherightstomytwobooks, SecretsofaFreelanceWriterandTheCopywritersHandbook,for$2,500apiece $5,000total. Myimmediatereactionwastogetmyattorneytothreatenalawsuit,which wasamistake.Acompanyhoundedbycreditorsisntafraidofonemore complaint.Mylawyergotoutofit,andmyagenttookover.Thefinaldealwas thatDodd,Meadgrantedmeallrightstobothbooksinexchangeforapaymentof $2,000($1,000perbook)plusforgivenessofbackroyalties(whichIneverwould haveseenanyway).IcouldhavegottenitcheaperIbelievethatthoseDodd, Meadauthorswhonegotiatedearly,insteadoffightingasIdid,paidsomewhere around$250perbookforrights. Conclusion?Ifthepublisherofferstosellyoutherights,respondimmediately withamuchlowerfigureandbeginnegotiation.Theauthorswho actfirstcangetbacktherightsatthelowestprice.Later,whenthepublisher realizeshowbadlyitneedscash,itbecomesmoredemandingandlessopen tonegotiation. Determinewhethertoacceptthepublishersfinalofferbasedonwhatthebook meanstoyoupersonally,emotionallyandfinanciallyaswellasitssales potential.Withmychildrensbook,RonaldsDumbComputer,thebookis financiallyunimportanttomeandIneverbotheredtopursuetherights.ButThe CopywritersHandbookisanongoingpromotionaltoolformeandamajorsourceof newconsultingbusiness,sogettingbacktherightswascrucialandwellworth the$1,000Ipaid. Mystoryhasahappyending.MyeditoratDodd,Meadmovedtoanother publishinghouse.ShegotintouchandexpressedinterestinrepublishingSecretsof aFreelanceWriterandTheCopywritersHandbookifIcouldgettherightsback.My

39

advancefromthenewpublishermorethancoveredwhatIpaidouttoDodd, Meadtorecovertherights,andneweditionsofbothbooksarenowinbookstores. BUYINGTHEINVENTORY WhenDodd,Meadofferedtosellmetherightstomybooks,italsoaskedifI wantedtopurchasetheremaininginventory.Whilemostbookcontractsofferthe remainderstotheauthoratmanufacturingcost,Dodd,Meadwantedcostplus$1 perbook.Thiswas$3.16perbookfor629hardcovercopiesofTheCopywriters Handbookwithacoverpriceof$17.95,and$3.91perbookfor406paperbackcopies ofSecretsofaFreelanceWriterwithacoverpriceof$9.95.ThismeantIdwrite Dodd,Meadanadditionalcheckfor$3,575.10inexchangefor1,035bookswitha retailvalueof$15,330.25assumingIcouldsellthem. Inmycase,Iwasntespeciallyworriedaboutbeingabletosellthebooks. IuseTheCopywritersHandbookasapremium,givingittoclientsandprospectsfor myconsultingandcopywritingservices.Inaddition,Ireceiveseveralcallseach weekfrompeoplewantingtoknowwheretheycangetacopy.AsforSecretsofa FreelanceWriter,IknewfromrunningatestadinWritersDigestthatIcouldsell thebookprofitablyasamailorderitem. However,bythetimeIdecidedtobuythebooks,Dodd,Meadsinventorywas frozenforlegalreasons.EventuallyIboughtthebooksatanevenlowerpricefrom aremainderhouse(adistributorthatbuysandsellsinventoriesofoutofprint books). Makeanofferandgetthebooksshippedtoyourightaway.Otherwise,you maynevergetthem. Thisassumes,ofcourse,thatyouwanttheinventory.Youmaynot. Storinghundredsorthousandsofbookspresentsproblemsinitself.Thebest placeisthegarage,attic,basementorsparebedroom,butyoumaynotwantto livewiththeclutter.Thealternativeswarehouseorotherstoragefacilitiesare
40

notinexpensive.Igotaquotationfromafulfillmenthouse,whichwouldnot onlystorethebooksbutalsohandleincomingmailordersandshipbooksto customersforme.Storagealoneforthe2,000bookswasintherangeof $55$100permonthwhichwouldquicklyeatintomyprofits.Istoredthe booksinmybasement. Sellingtheinventoryisachallenge.But,beingawriter,youmaybeabletofind creativeandprofitablewaystodoit.Manyauthorsselltheirbooksbymail. Thesellingmethodyouusedeterminesthemaximumyoucanaffordtopay foryouroutofprintbooks.Ifyousellthematseminars,forexample,where sellingcostsarelow,youcanpayupto50%oftheretailpriceandstillmakea handsomeprofitbecauseyouronlyadvertisingcostisholdingupacopyofthe bookfromthepodium. But,ifyouwanttosellthebookthroughmailorderadvertising,youneeda higherprofitmargintocoverthecostofadvertising(classifiedisbest),mailing salesliterature,andshippingbookstocustomers.Themostyoucanaffordtopay is25%oftheretailprice,andyoureallyshouldbelookingtopay1020%ofretail orless. Formosttradepaperbacks,thiscomesto$1$3percopy.Whensellingthe booksmailorder,add$2totheretailpriceforshippingandhandling.Thishelps relievesomeoftheburdenofyourhighsellingcosts. KEEPINGTHEBOOKINPRINT Assumingyouaresuccessfulatsellingyourbooks,theinventorywillsoonbe gone.Thenwhat? Iftherightsbelongtoyou,youhavetwochoices.Youcansellthebookto anotherpublisher.Or,youcanpublishityourself.

41

Theauthorwhowantstoselfpublishhisoutofprintbookhasabigadvantage overotherselfpublishers:Namely,thebookhasalreadybeendesignedandset intotypeeliminatingthousandsofdollarsintypesettingandcompositioncosts. Ideally,yourprintershouldprintfromthepublishersoriginalplatesorfilms. Butinmostinstancestheprintercanproduceanacceptablefinishedproductusing existingcopiesofthepublishedbookashiscamerareadyartwork.Forthis,he willneedtwocleancopiesingoodcondition. Howmanycopiesshouldyouprint?MostselfpublishingexpertsItalkedto recommendedafirstprintrunof3,000copies.Printingfewercopiesdrivesupthe costpercopy,whileprintingmorecouldleaveyouwithawarehousefullofbooks ifitdoesntsell. Fora128pagetradepaperback,trimsize51/2x81/2inches,abook productionhousequotedmeapriceof$6,488.09for3,000copies,or$2.16per book.Icouldprobablyhavegottenalowerpricegoingdirectlytoaprinterand handlingtheproductiondetailsmyself.Besuretogotoaprinterspecializing inbooks. Selfpublishingoffersyoutheadvantageofcontrolcontroloverjacketdesign, pricing,marketinganddistribution.Youmightwanttogetintothe booksellingbusinessthisway.Ididnt.AndwherewouldIstore3,000books? Soinstead,IchosetoreselltherightstothepublisherwheremyDodd,Mead editornowworked. Willyoubeabletoresellyourbooktoanotherpublisher?Itmaybedifficult. Publishersaremoreinterestedinsomethingnewthansomethingold.Unlessyour bookwasabigseller,mosteditorswontgetexcitedaboutit.Butifyouquery publishers,youmayfindonelookingtofillaslotinitscatalogwithabookjust likeyours.Ormaybeaneditorwhopraisedthebookinthepastwouldbehappy

42

toacquireitnow.Ifyouroriginaleditorhasmovedtoanotherpublishinghouse, heorshewouldbeyourbestbetforaresale. Whatkindofadvancecanyouexpect?Probably50%orlessoftheadvanceyou wouldgetforthebookifitwerenew.Ontheotherhand,itseasymoney;unless yourbookmustberevisedandupdated,theresalmostnoworkinvolvedforyou. Iftheresonepieceofadvicetofollowaboveallelse,itsactquickly.Those authorswhotakeimmediateactionandpersistuntilthedealismadesufferleast andprofitmostwhentheirbooksgooutofprint.

Section6 Make$10,000aMonthSellingEbooks
BeforetheInternet,therewasanicheinmailordermarketingthatinvolved sellingbooksonhowtogetrichinmailorder,theaudienceprimarilycomposedof businessopportunityseekers. NowtheInternethascreatedanequivalentmarketofpeoplewhowanttoget richontheInternet,andanequivalentniche:sellingebooksonhowtomake moneywritingandsellingebooks. MostoftheseebooksarespecificallyonhowtomakemoneyontheInternet, anddealwithvariousaspectsofsellinginformationonline.Afewareonmore generalmarketingandsellingtopics.Hardlyanydealwithsubjectsoutsideof businessandbusinessopportunities. Thebusinessmodelworksasfollows:Youwriteanebookonatopicof interesttoyourpotentialbuyers(Internetmillionairewannabes)andformatitas adownloadablePDFfile.

43

Next,youwritealong,powerfulsaleslettertoselltheebookandpostiton theWebasamicrosite.UnlikeconventionalWebsites,whichhavealotofbuttons andclickingoptions,theonlythingyoucandoonamicrositeforasingleebook isreadthesalescopyand,ifinterested,ordertheproduct. (Ebooksaretypicallycoveredbya30daymoneybackguarantee.Even thoughtheproductcantbereturned,anyonewhosaystheyaredissatisfied getsarefund.) Finally,youdrivetraffictotheebooksitethroughavarietyofpromotional methods,includingadsandarticlesinotherpeoplesezines,announcementsin yourownezine,banneradvertising,coregistrations,payperclickadvertising, makingaffiliatedealswithotheronlinemarketers,andsendingemailstoyour housefile(rentingatraditionaloptinlistdoesnottypicallyworkforebookoffers becauseofthehighcost). Anaffiliatedealinvolvesarrangingwithanotheronlinemarketertosell yourebooktohisaudienceinexchangeforacutoftherevenuerangingfrom 30%to50%.Affiliatesaremymostsuccessfulmethodofsellingebooks,says JoeVitale,authorofnumerousebooksincludingthebestsellingHypnoticWriting (www.hypnoticwriting.com).VitalerecommendssearchingtheInternetforonline marketerswhosellotherpeoplesproductsontheirsite. Recruitingpeoplewhobuyyourebookandloveitisthebestwaytoget affiliates,saysFredGleek,anonlineinformationmarketer (www.seminarexpert.com).Includeasectionineveryebookexplaininghowthe buyercanbecomeanaffiliateandsellyourebooktohisaudience. Withanewebook,yourownlistrepresentstheabsolutebestwaytosella wholelotofebooksreally,reallyfast,saysebookauthorJimEdwards,People whohaveboughtfromyoubeforearehighlylikelytobuyagain.

44

Themodelforthisgenreofhowtogetrichonlinebysellingebookson howtowriteandsellebooksiseBookSecretsExposed (www.ebooksecretsexposed.com)byJimEdwardsandDavidGarfinkel. Edwardsmakesahandsomelivingwritingandsellingebooks;hehas sold5,000copiesofvariousebooktitlesrangingfrom$29to$49overthelast 12months.Keepinmindthatthemanufacturingandshippingcostsfor ebooksiszero,whichiswhatmakesthemsuchanattractive,profitable informationproduct. Ihavetwoebooksthateachgenerate$10,000to$12,000grosseachper month,saysEdwards.Anotherdoes$3,000permonthinsales,andtwoothers generate$1,200permontheach.Oneebooksold$43,000in30days. Whattopicsworksbest?Topicsthataddressanurgentneedthattheprospect isawareof,andthatyoucanmarkettopreformedInternetgroupsofprospects, saysGarfinkle.Thesegroupsareusuallycomposedofezinesubscribersarean affinitygroupsthatspendsalotoftimeonasingleWebsiteordiscussiongroups thatallowsproductionpromotion.Hesaysthatebooksonmarketingandbig ticketconsumeritemtopics(e.g.,howtonegotiatethebestpriceforacar,orhow tobuyorsellyourhouse)workwell. Andwhatwontsellintheebookmarketplace?Informative,evenvaluable topicsaroundwhichthereisnopressingneedmostofthetime, saysGarrfinkle. Herecentlyadvisedanotheronlinemarketernottogoforwardwithaplanned ebookforjuniorexecutivesonhowtoselltheirideastoothers.Thereason?He couldntfindaninterestedcommunityontheWebofjuniormanagersthathave spentmoneyoncareerimprovingtopics.Also,exceptinraresituations, mostjuniormanagersdontfeelurgencyaboutsellingtheirideastoothers, Davidnotes.
45

Awordofcautiontothebuyer:Someebooksarequicklycompiled,shoddily researched,recycledtrash,andaripoffoftheir$19or$29sellingprice.Reason: Thebarrierstoentryinebookmarketingaresolow,anyonecandoit.Andsothe marketisfloodedwiththinPDFdocumentswrittenbyamateurshopingtomakea quickbook. Yourbestbetifyouwanttobuyandreadmarketingebooks:Buyfromthe provenauthorsmentionedinthisarticleJimEdwards,DavidGarfinkel,Fred Gleek,JoeVitaleaswellasotherknownexpertsinentrepreneurialonline marketingincludingTerryDean,CoreyRudel,JeffreyLant,andJimStraw.

Section7

Write,Design,andPublishYourOwnFreeEzine
Mymonthlyezine,TheDirectResponseLetter(gotowww.bly.comto subscribeorviewbackissues),isnotthemostsuccessfulorwidelyreadezineon theplanet.Farfromit. Butmarketingresultsandcommentsfromsubscriberstellmemysimple formulaforcreatingtheezinewhich,includingcopyandlayout,takesmejust anhourortwoperissuetocompletefromstarttofinishworks. Inthisarticle,Iwanttosharetheformulawithyou,soyoucanproducean effectiveezineofyourown,sittingatyourcomputer,withouthiringawriteror designer,injustasinglemorningorafternoon. IfyouwanttomarketyourproductorserviceovertheInternet,Istronglyurge youtodistributeyourownezinefreetoyourcustomersandprospects.Thereare severalreasonsfordoingso.

46

First,theezineallowsyoutokeepintouchwithyourbestcustomersindeed, withallyourcustomersatvirtuallynocost.Becauseitselectronic,theresno printingorpostageexpense. Second,byofferingpotentialcustomersafreesubscriptiontoyourezine,you cancapturetheiremailaddressandaddthemtoyouronlinedatabase.Youcan thenmarkettotheseprospects,alsoatnocost. Whetheryouaregeneratingleadsordirectsales,therearetwowaystosell yourproductsandservicestoyourezinesubscribers.Oneistoplacesmallonline adsintheregularissuesofyourezine.Theseadsareusuallyahundredwordsor soinlength,andincludealinktoapageonyoursitewherethesubscribercan readaboutandordertheproduct. Or,youcansendstandaloneemailmessagestoyoursubscribers,again promotingaspecificproductandwithalinktoyoursite. Whenyouaredealingwithafreeezine(asopposedtoanonlinenewsletter whichthereaderpaysfor),peoplespendjustalittletimereadingitbeforethey deleteitwithaclickofthemouse. Iamconvincedthatmostsubscribersdonotprintouttheezine,takeithome, andcurlupwithitonthecouchlatertoread.Therefore,Iuseaquickreading formatdesignedtoallowthesubscribertoreadmyezineonlinerightwhenhe opensit. Inthisformula,myezinealwayshasbetween5and7shortarticles.Theyare usuallyjustafewparagraphseach. Everyarticlecanbereadinlessthanaminute,soitnevertakesmorethan 7minutestoreadthewholeissue,thoughIdoubtmostpeopledo.Youcansee themostrecentissueatwww.bly.comtogetafeelforthelengthandcontentof thesearticles.

47

Iadviseagainsthavingjustaheadlineandaonelinedescriptionofthearticle, withalinktothefulltextofthearticle.Allthisclickingforcesyoursubscribersto doalotofworktoreadyourarticles,andthatsnotwhattheywant. IdonotuseHTML;myezineistextonly.Thiswayitiseasyandinexpensive toproduce. Idontmakeaproductionoutofit;itsjuststraighttype.Manyreadershave toldmetheylikeitthisway,andthattheydontlikeHTMLezines, whichlook(a)morepromotionalandlessinformationaland(b)seemtohave moretoread. Whenpreparingyourtextezinefordistribution,typeyourcopy,inasingle column,inTimesRomanoranothereasytoreadtypeface. Thecolumnwidthshouldbe60characters,soyoucansetyourmarginsat20 and80.However,tomakesurethelinescomeoutevenly,youmustputahard carriagereturnbyhittingreturnattheendofeachline. Thereareavarietyofservicesandsoftwareprogramsfordistributingyoure zineaswellasyouremailmarketingmessagestoyouronlinedatabase.Iuseand recommendwww.globaltrafficpros.com. Myfrequencyismonthly,thoughoccasionallyIdoasecondissueifthereis majornewsthatmonth. Iamafreelancecopywriter.Letmeshowyouspecificallyhowhavingan ezinehelpsbringinbusinessforme. Irecentlygaveaspeechonsoftwaredirectmarketing.Itwasrecorded, soIhadaudiocassettecopiesmade.Inmyezine,Iofferedthecassettefreeto anysubscribersinvolvedinsoftwaremarketingpotentialclientsformy copywritingservices. Within24hoursafterIdistributedtheezine,wereceivedover200inquiries frommarketingmanagersatsoftwarecompaniesrequestingthe
48

tape,manyofwhomneededcopywrittenfordirectmailandemailtopromote theirsoftware. Bycomparison,mostcopywriterstellmethatwhentheysendpostaldirect mailtoalistofprospects,theyaveragea2%response.Atthatrate,theywould havetosendout10,000piecesofmailtogeneratethe200leadsIgotinanhour forfree. Thatswhatanezinecandoforyou.Onceyoubuildyoursubscriberlist,you haveanincrediblypowerfulmarketingtoolandthemostvaluableassetyour businesscanown:adatabaseofbuyerswithemailaddressesandpermissionto mailtothematanytime.

Abouttheauthor:
BOBBLYisanindependentcopywriterandconsultantwithmore than20yearsofexperienceinbusinesstobusiness,hightech,industrial,and directmarketing. Bobhaswrittencopyforover100clientsincludingNetworkSolutions, ITTFluidTechnology,MedicalEconomics,Intuit,Business&LegalReports,and BrooklynUnionGas.AwardsincludeaGoldEchofromtheDirectMarketing Association,anIMMYfromtheInformationIndustryAssociation,twoSouthstar Awards,anAmericanCorporateIdentityAwardofExcellence,andtheStandard ofExcellenceawardfromtheWebMarketingAssociation. Heistheauthorofmorethan50booksincludingTheCompleteIdiotsGuideto DirectMarketing(AlphaBooks)andTheCopywritersHandbook(HenryHolt&Co.).

49

HisarticleshaveappearedinnumerouspublicationssuchasDMNews,Writers Digest,AmtrakExpress,Cosmopolitan,InsideDirectMail,andBits&Pieces forSalespeople. Bobhaspresentedmarketing,sales,andwritingseminarsforsuchgroupsas theU.S.Army,IndependentLaboratoryDistributorsAssociation,American InstituteofChemicalEngineers,andtheAmericanMarketingAssociation. HealsotaughtbusinesstobusinesscopywritingandtechnicalwritingatNew YorkUniversity. Bobwritessalesletters,directmailpackages,ads,emailmarketingcampaigns, brochures,articles,pressreleases,whitepapers,Websites,newsletters,scripts, andothermarketingmaterialsclientsneedtoselltheirproductsandservicesto businesses.Healsoconsultswithclientsonmarketingstrategy,mailorderselling, andleadgenerationprograms. Priortobecominganindependentcopywriterandconsultant,Bobwas advertisingmanagerforKochEngineering,amanufacturerofprocessequipment. HehasalsoworkedasamarketingcommunicationswriterforWestinghouse Defense.BobBlyholdsaB.S.inchemicalengineeringfromtheUniversityof RochesterandhasbeentrainedasaCertifiedNovellAdministrator(CNA). HeisamemberoftheAmericanInstituteofChemicalEngineersandtheBusiness MarketingAssociation. BobhasappearedasaguestondozensofTVandradioshowsincluding MoneyTalk1350,TheAdvertisingShow,BernardMeltzer,BillBresnan,CNBC, WinninginBusiness,TheSmallBusinessAdvocateandCBSHardCopy.Hehas beenfeaturedinmajormediarangingfromtheLATimesandNationsBusinessto theNewYorkPostandtheNationalEnquirer. ForaFREECopywritingInformationKit,orafree,noobligationcostestimate oncopywritingforyournextproject,contact:
50

BobBly,Copywriter 22EastQuackenbushAvenue,3rdFloor,Dumont,NJ07628 Phone(201)3851220,Fax(201)3851138 Email:rwbly@bly.com Web:www.bly.com

51